A Prayer Upon Entering Church

In this hour of

this day, fill us,

O Lord, with

Thy mercy,

that rejoicing

throughout the

whole day, we

may take de-

light in Thy

praise; through

Jesus Christ

our Lord.

Amen.

~ The Sarum

Breviary

The Fourth Sunday in Lent March 26, 2017 + 9:00 A.M. & 11:00 A.M. Welcome to the Lord’s Day. Today the Church lightens the color of her Lenten penitence, taking away the dark bruises of our sin so that she may catch a glimpse of the great beauty of God’s mercy. It is fitting that this is the day our meditation on the Lord’s Prayer focuses on forgiveness. We acknowledge the deep bruises of sin that need forgiving, but we rejoice in the mar-velous beauty of God’s love and mercy, shining bright for you in His forgiving word. It is a beauty that is so radiant that it enables you to remove the bruises of another’s sin by a word of forgive-ness that they, too, might see the beauty of a forgiven life.

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Sharing God’s Blessings Today • Sunday’s Radio Broadcast is sponsored by Ken and Lois Haderlein in loving

memory of Lois’ parents who would have been 100 years old this year. Louis Traska’s birth date was March 22 and Mildred Traska’s birth date was March 26.

• Flowers do not adorn the chancel during the penitential season of Lent. • The sponsor charts for 2017 for Broadcasts and Flowers are available for you to

sign up. There are many open dates for you to sponsor. The charts are by the stairs by the northwest entry.

Almost There . . . We’re now closer to Easter than to the beginning of Lent. When the Church passes this “half-way mark,” it lightens the color of the season from violet to rose. Why? It reminds us that Christian joy springs from having the end in sight. God calls His people to follow Him, setting them on a journey marked by many challenges and perils. Yet He does not leave them alone on that journey: He accom-panies them and strengthens them by pointing them to the good and glorious end of the new creation. That promise “lightens” our burdens as we trust in Him. So our Lenten devotion “lightens up” on this day as we see the end in sight: the day of Easter, the Day of Resurrection! We even find ourselves gathered on the thresh-old of that Day as we gather at the Lord’s table, a foretaste of the feast to come.

Announcements Parish announcements may be found in the weekly newsletter, For You, provided by the ushers after worship.

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PRELUDE

Three Meditations on “St. Crispin” (God Loved the World

So that He Gave)

… Benjamin Kolodziej, Donald Rotermund, Jacob B. Weber

RINGING OF THE BELLS

Please stand.

INVOCATION P: In the name of the Father, and of the � Son, and of the Holy

Spirit.

C: Amen

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION P: Father of mercies and God of all consolation, come to the aid of

your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone.

Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may attend to

your Word, confess our sins, receive your forgiveness, and

grow into the fullness of your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and

Redeemer.

C: Amen

P: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is

not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and

just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteous-

ness.

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Please kneel. Silence for reflection.

P: O almighty God, merciful Father,

C: I, a troubled and penitent sinner, confess to you all my sins

and iniquities with which I have ever offended you and

justly deserved your punishment. But I am heartily sorry for

them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray you, of your

boundless mercy, and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bit-

ter sufferings and death of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to

be gracious and merciful to me, a poor sinful being.

P: Upon this your confession, I, as a called and ordained servant

of the Word, announce the grace of God to all of you, and in

the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I for-

give you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the �

Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

Please stand.

INTROIT P: My eyes are ever ′toward the LORD,* for he will pluck my feet out ′of the net. C: One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek ′after:* that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my

life, | to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his ′temple.

P: For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of ′trouble;* he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; | he will lift me high up′on a rock. C: And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all

around me, |

Dear Father, I come to you and pray that you will for-give me for this reason: not because I can make sat-isfaction or deserve any-thing by my works, but because you have prom-ised and have set this seal on it, making ti as certain as if I had received an absolution pronounced by you your-self. Amen ~ Martin Luther,

Large Catechism

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and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with ′shouts of joy;* I will sing and make melody ′to the LORD.

C: Glory to the Father, and ′to the Son,* and to the ′Holy Spirit; as it was in ′the beginning,* is now, and will be forever. ′Amen P: My eyes are ever ′toward the LORD,* for he will pluck my feet out ′of the net.

KYRIE P: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

P: For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to

the Lord.

P: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the holy

Church, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

P: For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship

and praise, let us pray to the Lord.

Our proces-sion during the Introit pictures the journey of faith: from death (the blessed burial of our sins in Christ at the font) to life (the promise that the Bread of Life is “for you,” given at the altar).

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P: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

PRAYER OF THE DAY P: Let us pray . . . Almighty God, our heavenly Father, your mer-

cies are new every morning; and though we deserve only pun-ishment, you receive us as your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowl-edge your merciful goodness, give thanks for all your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: Amen

Please be seated.

CHORAL RESPONSE (9:00 a.m.)

“God So Loved the World” … Wayne L. Wold

OLD TESTAMENT Isaiah 42:14-21 14For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and re-strained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant. 15I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. 16And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. 17They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, “You are our gods.” 18Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see! 19Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my mes-senger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the LORD? 20He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear. 21The LORD was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious.

There we leave you in that blessed dependency, to hang upon Him that hangs upon the cross. ~ The final

sentence of the final sermon of English poet and pastor, John Donne,

1631 A.D.

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L: The Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM 142 Choir/ I cry to the LORD ′with my voice;* L: to the LORD I make loud ′supplication. C: I pour out my com′plaint before him* and tell him ′all my trouble. Choir/ When my spirit languishes within me, you ′know my L: path;* in the way wherein I walk they have hidden a ′trap for me. C: I look to my right hand and find no ′one who knows me;* I have no place to flee to, and no one ′cares for me. Choir/ I cry out to ′you, O LORD;* L: I say, “You are my refuge, | my portion in the land ′of the

living.” C: Listen to my cry for help, for I have been brought ′very

low;* save me from those who pursue me, | for they are too ′strong for me. Choir/ Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks ′to your L: name;* when you have dealt bountifully with me, the righteous

will ′gather round me. All: Glory to the Father, and ′to the Son,* and to the ′Holy Spirit; as it was in ′the beginning,*

is now, and will be forever. ′Amen.

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EPISTLE Ephesians 5:8-14 8For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10and try to discern what is pleas-ing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” L: The Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. Please stand.

VERSE

GOSPEL P: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the 9th chapter.

We look to God and not to ourselves – not even to those works that God does in us. ~ Gerhard

Forde, On Being a

Theologian of the Cross,

1997 A.D.

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1As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2And his disci-ples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. 13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” 34They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. 35Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you be-lieve in the Son of Man?” 36He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

The essence of this (healing) is not simply that sight is restored, but that light is given to one who has never had it. The light that Jesus has come to give is not men’s by right, but is God’s free gift through Jesus Christ. ~Bruce Vawter, 1968 A.D.

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APOSTLES CREED P: Let us confess the faith with one heart:

C: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was con-ceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the liv-ing and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the � resurrec-tion of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Please be seated.

SUNDAY SCHOOL (9:00 a.m.) During the singing of the hymn, children of preschool age through grade 4 may leave for Sunday School classes downstairs in the church hall. Please reclaim your children at 10:25 a.m. after their music time in the balcony.

HYMN OF THE DAY “God Loved the World So That He Gave”

God does not wish to re-gard our sins and punish us as we daily deserve but to deal gra-ciously with us, to forgive as he has promised, and thus to grant us a joyful and cheerful conscience so that we may stand before him in prayer. ~ Martin Luther,

Large Catechism

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5 If you are sick, if death is near,

This truth your troubled heart can cheer:

Christ Jesus saves your soul from death;

That is the firmest ground of faith.

6 Glory to God the Father, Son,

And Holy Spirit, Three in One!

To You, O blessèd Trinity,

Be praise now and eternally!

SERMON “The Lord’s Prayer, Part Five” P: What is the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer? C: And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who tres-

pass against us.

P: What does this mean? C: We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not

look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He should give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.

Please kneel.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH P: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for

all people according to their needs.

P: . . . let us pray to the Lord,

C: Lord, have mercy.

This [prayer] should serve God’s pur-pose to break our pride and keep us hum-ble. He has reserved to Himself this prerogative: those who boast of their goodness and despise others should exam-ine them-selves and put this peti-tion upper-most in their mind. They will find that they are no more right-eous than anyone else, that in the presence of God all people must fall on their knees and be glad that we can come for for-giveness. ~ Martin Luther,

Large Catechism

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P: Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

C: Amen Please be seated.

OFFERING While the offerings are received, please pass in your row the Friendship Register, and add your name(s). If you are a guest or visitor, please in-clude your address.

VOLUNTARY “God Loved the World So That He Gave” … Wayne L. Wold

Please stand.

OFFERTORY

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OFFERTORY PRAYER P: Let us pray. Blessed are you, Lord of heaven and earth, who

by your tender love gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption. May we who now receive his body and blood be filled with the strength to take up our cross and follow him.

C: Amen

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING P: The Lord be with you.

P: Lift up your hearts.

P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

P: It is indeed right and salutary . . . we praise your name and join

their unending hymn:

SANCTUS (“Holy”)

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WORDS OF INSTITUTION P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when he was betrayed,

took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is my body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me.”

In the same way also he took the cup after the supper, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in my blood,

which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink of it, in remembrance of me.

THE LORD’S PRAYER P: Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray: C: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy

kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our tres-passes, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

ACCLAMATION P: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Three bells: “Father,” “Give,” and “Amen.” So we proclaim our joy in this prayer and summa-rize it’s spirit: Father, give us all that You would give! Amen

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AGNUS DEI (“Lamb of God”)

Please be seated.

The congregation is ushered forward for Communion. If you cannot use the steps to the altar, you may either ask an usher to have Communion brought to you, or you may go to the altar in the side (west) chapel. Those not communing may cross their arms over their chest for a blessing.

Holy Communion is the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which He joyfully gives to His Church to eat and to drink. This gift bestows tre-mendous benefits. His body and blood forgives ours sins, strengthens our faith, binds us to the Lord, and unites us with each other. In this is life and salvation.

The Lord therefore invites to His altar baptized Christians who trust that they will receive in Holy Communion all that He promises there: His body and blood, the forgiveness of sins, union with Christ and His Church, life, and salvation. Know that He gives it to you with great joy.

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COMMUNION HYMNS “Our Father, We Have Wandered” blue hymnal #733 “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed” green hymnal #98

Please stand after all have received the sacrament.

POST-COMMUNION CANTICLE

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER P: Almighty God, you gave your Son both as a sacrifice for sin

and a model of the godly life. Enable us to receive him always

with thanksgiving, and to conform our lives to his; through the

same Jesus Christ our Lord.

C: Amen

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BENEDICTION P: Almighty God, Father, � Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now

and forever.

SILENT PRAYER

POSTLUDE “Prelude & Fugue in E Minor” (BWV 555) … J. S. Bach

+ Soli Deo Gloria + To God alone be glory

A Prayer as You Go Most glorious Trinity, in Thy mercy we com-mit to Thee this day our souls, our bod-ies, all our ways and go-ings, all our deeds and pur-poses. We pray Thee so to open our hearts and mouths, that we may praise Thy name, which above all names alone is holy; and since Thou hast created us for the praise of Thy holy name, grant that our lives may be to Thine honor, and that we may serve Thee in Thy love and fear. Amen ~ Wilhelm

Loehe, Agende,

1844 A.D.

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Serving at Worship Preaching Pastor: Rev. Ted Gulhaugen Presiding Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Steven K. Gjerde Assisting Minister: Vicar Joseph Pinzl Organist: Kantor Irene Beethe Choir: (9:00) Zion Kantorei Radio Announcer: (9:00) Keith Glasel Lector: (9:00) Samantha Pinzl (11:00) Dave Gisselman Acolyte: (9:00) Lilith Christoffersen (11:00) Mitch Steinke Elder: (9:00) Marlene Kroening (11:00) Scott Schubring Ushers: (9:00) Sally Christoffersen; Gary Habeck; Steve and Marlene Kroening; Larry and Marilyn Schubring (11:00) Al Lippert; Herbert Zahrt Communion Assistants: (9:00) Sally Christoffersen; Bill Metter; Joe Pinzl (11:00) Dave Gisselman; Joe Pinzl; Cheryl Plautz Altar Guild: Adele Blair; Pam Hoppe

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Acknowledgements The liturgy is reprinted from the Lutheran Book of Worship, © 1978. Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress license #SB129062. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. Used by permission. “Introit” from “Propers of the Day”: 2007 © Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Used by permission LSBLiturgyLicense.net #000013767. “Create in Me”, “O Christ, thou Lamb of God”, and “On My Heart Im-print Your Image” are public domain. “God Loved the World So That He Gave” is public domain.

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Church Telephone: 715-848-7286 Senior Pastor Steven K. Gjerde Visitation Pastor Theodore B. Gulhaugen Pastoral Assistant Joseph C. Pinzl Kantor Irene Beethe Parish Nurse Lenore Grosinske Office Manager Pam Gabriel Secretary Anna Mae Zeinemann Custodian Michael Renken

To contact us by email: zion@dwave.net To visit our webpage: www.zionlutheranwausau.com Host of the Wausau Lutheran Hour Sundays, 9:00 am, WSAU Radio 550AM (or click “Listen Live” at www.wsau.com) Member Congregation of Lutheran Core www.lutherancore.org

Zion Lutheran Church Sixth and Grant Streets, Wausau, Wisconsin 54403

Those who trust in the Lord shall be like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. (Psalm 125:1)